AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, speaking at the Sanford Bernstein Strategic Decisions conference, teased a possible solution for customers who feel beleaguered by tiered data, and who have been avoiding data-heavy services due to plan limitations.

Stephenson suggested that, as part of new "toll free" data plans, certain data-hungry services' traffic would be excluded from users' monthly data allotment, meaning that services like, for example, Netflix, could be used without eating up your entire data plan.

It's no secret that providers have been starting to crack down on illegal tethering, but now AT&T is taking a new approach on customers using their device as a hotspot without an appropriate plan.

Back in March, Ma Bell started sending out notices to customers found to be tethering without paying their dues to subtly let them know that their current plan "may need updating." Well, as it turns out, the time for subtleties is over.

When I think of Sprint, the first thought that comes to mind is CEO Dan Hesse standing on a pier talking about being truly unlimited. I'm sure that he really does like the idea of being truly unlimited... but only when phones are concerned. You see, Sprint is reportedly going to take a different stance when it comes to data connection cards and embedded devices, such as tablets and netbooks.